For most of the 2010s, Marin Cilic was a giant in an era defined by the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The Croatian was one of three players outside the ‘big three’ to clinch a Grand Slam last decade, having claimed the 2014 US Open title.
Cilic enjoyed an incredible campaign that year, battling past Federer in straight sets before overcoming Kei Nishikori in the final to hoist the trophy inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
He went on to reach the final of Wimbledon in 2017 and the Australian Open in 2018, where he secured a career-high ATP ranking of third in the world.
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In 2023, however, Cilic’s career took a turn for the worse when, after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee, he underwent the first of two surgeries.
He played just two tournaments that year and missed the majority of the 2024 season, which he finished with a record of six wins and nine losses.
Marin Cilic recalls the ‘difficult’ times after his knee injury in 2023
Reflected on his time sidelined due to injury in an interview with ‘The Tennis Mentor’, Cilic pinpointed the moment he thought he may never be able to return to the ATP Tour.
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” he replied, when asked if he had doubts about playing tennis again after his first surgery.
“It was extremely difficult. At the start, I was like, okay, I need to do a surgery. I went to see the doctors. How long is my recovery gonna take? Six months, no problem. Let’s do it.
“I was like, day one, okay, let’s push, you know, let’s burn, let’s go for it. And then, after 4 months I was like okay, this is a good level.
“The first 3 months I wasn’t able to run, and then I started slowly to build up. Actually, the build-up from running to 90 per cent was extremely fast. The body was responding beautifully.
“Then, from 90 to 100, it was like such a hassle, unbelievable. The knee started to swell, so back to rehab, training again to build up to 90%, trying to go to 100 again. You know it was up and down.
“I tried to play a tournament, the knee blew up, and then you know the doubts get in. You’re not sure what’s the solution here? Am I going to be able to play anymore?
“You get your hopes up, then down, then up, then down, so that was playing a lot with my mind, and I had lots of ideas, you know, that I might not be able to come back.”
Marin Cilic’s results since returning to the ATP Tour after surgery
Cilic managed to return to professional tennis successfully after two surgeries, and this year has played at three of the four Grand Slams for the first time since 2022.
In June, he broke Andy Murray‘s record when he became the oldest grass-court champion in Challenger Tour history, emerging victorious at the Nottingham Open, aged 36.
At Wimbledon, Cilic continued his hot streak on the surface by reaching the fourth round, knocking out fourth seed Jack Draper en route.
The former major champion has refused to throw in the towel just yet, and with two decades on the tour under his belt, he remains inside the world’s top 60.